Press – Following more than 400 flights of its third-scale demonstrator, Honda is planning to fly its first full-scale eVTOL prototype in March 2026, with the build of the inaugural aircraft expected to be completed by the end of this year. The Japanese automotive group hopes to have an FAA type certificate in hand by the early 2030s.

Although Honda has been relatively secretive about its upcoming eVTOL since announcing the program in 2021, the company’s inaugural presence at the Dubai Airshow is “good timing for us to showcase the progress of our research,” said Honda eVTOL vice president and executive chief engineer Susumu Mashio.

Joking that the company has been in so-called “stealth mode” for the last few years, Mashio explained that Honda hasn’t felt the need to “proactively announce [its progress] to the public in a very immature state.” However, the company “is now confident [its] technology is here.”

A one-third-scale technology demonstrator on display at the Dubai Airshow has been conducting a flight test campaign in California, augmenting learnings gleaned from wind tunnel testing. “This vehicle is specifically for the flight control verification,” Mashio explained.

Cover image copyright